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Doctor's view

To the Editor, It is with profound consternation and disbelief that I have learned that my dear friend and professional colleague, Dr. Bud Beamer, is being pilloried by the very community to which Bud has unselfishly devoted virtually his entire professional and personal life. His contributions to the Madras and Warm Springs communities are immeasurable: 40-plus years of dedication to the communities that he loves, and his rewards seem to have reached a level far below anything remotely understandable. I have known Dr. Beamer for 43 years. I was his consultant-supervisor with the Public Health Service Indian program during his two-year assignment at Warm Springs. One need only to solicit the opinions of hundreds of grateful Warm Springs people to learn of the profound admiration, gratitude and appreciation for the competent and dedicated service he rendered there. Hundreds of people in the Jefferson County area can and will testify to the fact that Dr. Beamer is and has been one of the most important dedicated and beloved pillars of the Madras community. When I suffered a serious heart attack in Madras in 1975, Bud stayed with me through the night, and was there at 4 a.m. to bring me back from the dead when my heart stopped. How many times has he done things like that for how many people? Hundreds! Granted, Bud made a very minor mistake out of compassion for his beloved dog. But absolutely no criminal intent can be established; to think of Bud Beamer as a criminal is offensive and digusting. Some token chastisement is warranted, but to deprive him of his medical practice -- his means of livelihood -- is far beyond any reasonable solution. The dedication and compassion that Dr. Beamer has given to the Madras and Warm Springs communities more than warrants that the same compassion and understanding be granted to him. Attempts by any others to maximize his chastisement must be vigorously resisted by the entire Central Oregon community. The character of Dr. Bud Beamer is beyond reproach; he must be spared the indignity which it appears he may be facing.Roger W. Haskell, M.D.Greer, S.C.